The Swordless King
by Aya1321
Summary: Mikoto had accepted his fate and welcomed death, until he was able to change it. With his sword's power absorbed into him, he heads back into his past and saves Tatara. Now he can live without the constant fear hanging over him, literally. But not everything end in happily ever after, as changing one bad thing makes a hundred different things just as bad appear to take its place.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Swordless King**

 **Author: Alaya1231**

 **Word count: 6,487 (This might end up blank sometimes when I forget to go back and fill it in xD)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of K Project/K/Everything and this is just an AU that I thought up and decided to write**

 **A/N: I know I have another story and all, but I accidently got addicted to K Project so xD! This is gonna be red clan central with some blue here and there. No pairings that I know of yet. Let me know if I should add some and who they should be! Enjoy!**

 **A/N#2: I also don't own the picture as I have no artistic abilities whatsoever!**

* * *

 _Sorry Anna, I won't be able to show you that pretty red anymore._

That was the only thing Souh Mikoto regretted at that very moment. He knew how devastated the young girl would be, even if she didn't show it. But he didn't regret doing it, no. He finally killed the bastard that caused the beginning of his downfall by murdering Tatara. Revenge was a petty thing however, considering he was now on the cold, wet ground and slowly bleeding to death.

He forced Munakata to leave, not wanting the other king to have to watch his slow decent into death. Despite their constant quarreling Mikoto had always considered the four-eyes to be a friend. They had an odd relationship, but not an unpleasant one. Both kings were able to let out their pent up energy and both knew neither was actually trying to kill the other. The blue and red clan clashed constantly, but it never ended in tragedy. Not until today.

He suddenly felt the energy of all of his clansman burst. _Right,_ he thought. _Anna will enjoy this bit._

But then everything froze. The falling snow stopped midair, and the wind stopped relentlessly beating at his broken form. He looked to his chest to see his wound had also stopped pouring excessive amounts of blood.

 _"Hello, Red King."_ A voice sounded from . . . _everywhere._

"Who . . Who the hell . . ?" Mikoto sat up with a great deal of effort and a grunt of pain. He had only stopped dying, he wasn't miraculously healed.

 _"That is none of your concern. Just know that I am someone who can help you."_ The voice whipped around him as if trying to replace the wind.

"How . . . ?" Mikoto breathed with the amount of effort it took to simply _talk._

 _"I can bring you back."_

"Back . . where?"

 _"Before your life, and the life of those around you began to fall apart,"_ the words were stated too easily as if they weren't offering an impossible request.

"Tatara?" Mikoto didn't know why he felt like that was what the voice was referring to.

 _"Precisely."_

"Im . . possible," the redhead forced out instantly after.

 _"Do you have any room to say such a word? To the normal people of this world, your very existence_ — _as well as mine_ — _would be deemed impossible. This very situation would be as well. But it's happening isn't it? Time has stopped. Only you and I exist at this very moment. So is anything_ really _impossible?"_

"What are . . you? How could you . . . possibly send me . . back?"

There was a sound as if the space surrounding Mikoto had just _sighed. "I, Red King, am the Dresden Slate. This is the only form I can appear to you as I am merely a consciousness. I have decided that you have earned a chance to redo what has happened. I also feel much of it is my fault for choosing the colorless king. So I'm giving you the option to fix the wrongs. This is your only chance. You can go back to Anna, Izumo, and a living,_ breathing, _Tatara if it is what you truly want. If not, I can unfreeze all of this and you will bleed to death and life will go on for the others."_

It was almost too much for a nearly dead Mikoto to comprehend. A seemingly inanimate object was talking to him and offering him the chance to redo his life. _What the hell?!_

"Hah . . what's the catch? . . . Can't just be . . _this_ simple . . "

 _"No catch. This is a chance for you to fix my mistake for the colorless king as well. Think of it as a favor. There is nothing but benefit here."_

"I'd still . . be a king?"

 _"Yes, but that is a complicated matter. If I send you back your consciousness, your soul, will all be from the you of this time. That means the core of your abilities as well."_

"My sword . . "

 _"That is why this is much more difficult. You will still have your powers as a king, but now you have no sword to act as your mediator. That means that, well, you can't overuse your power. There is no risk to you or anyone you love by you using the full extent of your power as much as you like. I supposed what I'm about to tell you can be considered a catch, however. Because of your lack of a sword your powers will be extremely volatile until you learn to control them once again. You may not know this, most kings are never told, but the sword holds a larger amount of a king's power than the host of the Aura. Especially with the Red Aura. When it dissolved, all of the power entered into you as its host until it could make its way back to me to be bestowed upon the next king. You can't feel it now, but there is an even more vast realm of fire raging inside of you than before."_

"Can't you . . take-"

 _"I cannot. Because of your current state as living, the red aura still wants you as its host. Even I could not take it back if I wanted. But you need not worry. You have no sword that can drop now. You just have to take control of your aura and not let it cause destruction just as devastating. It will be a hard task, but considering how long you lasted with the strain of Tatara's death, and the force of the red aura, I trust you to overcome it. Anything that happens is under your control, your power doesn't control you and you no longer have anything that stands as a reminder. Only yourself."_

"If . . can't?" Mikoto struggled to speak as it drained more and more of his energy.

 _"You can. If I thought you anything less than utterly worthy I would not have brought this option to you. You can save your friend and the many people who suffered at the hands of the Seventh King. Do you accept?"_

Mikoto had known his answer the second the offer was given to him. To be able to see Tarata? To have Anna be as happy as she was with the long dead man? He would suffer just a little bit more to know everyone else was happy.

"I accept," suddenly everything faded. One last thing floated in the air after him.

 _"You will be the only one to remember. This future no longer exists. Get rid of the colorless king and be the person you know you are."_

* * *

Mikoto shot up from his spot on the cushioned chair. The ghost of his stab wound still there as he felt a strong sense of deja vu. He looked to his clock, but remembered that this was the time he had used to replace to batteries and reset it to the right time. As of now it was frozen on a random time. "Dammit!" He stood up to head for the door, but the moment he stood straight an impossibly powerful flame ignited in his chest. It felt as if he would be ripped apart at any second. He clutched at his shirt that was directly above the most painful section and bunched it up in his fists. He bit down hard enough on his lip to draw blood, anything to keep him from making a single noise.

"So much worse . . " The red king gasped for breath as he tried to calm to raging inside of him and watched as his aura slowly dissipated. Feeling the energy subsiding for the time being Mikoto wasted no time to run for his door and down the stairs into the closed bar. "Mikot—" Izumo froze as he first saw his king. His normally overwhelming presence was so much more that even his second-in-command could feel the sheer power coming off of the slightly shorter man. He shook himself out of his stupor as quickly as he could. Something was obviously wrong.

"Today's date? Time? Anything!" The king demanded.

"It's barely an hour before Anna's birthday, how could you not—where are you going?"

"Stay with Anna," and with that the redhead flew out of the door and ran at impossible speeds to find the missing part of their trio.

* * *

"Izumo?" A soft, peaceful voice questioned soon after the king's forceful departure. "What happened to Mikoto? He felt different."

 _She felt it too, apparently,_ thought the man behind the bar. The young girl climbed onto a stool so she could be more level with the tall man. "I'm not sure myself. He came in here demanding the time and then left as if his life depended on it."

Suddenly her normally expressionless eyes widened before she seemed to realize her action and immediately clamped down on her emotions. "I know where he is going," she told him simply. "I had a dream," she seemed to think for a moment. "But this was not how it went."

"What was it?" Anna normally told him, Tatara, or Mikoto of any premonitions she had.

"Tatara was murdered."

 _"What?_ By who? Tatara isn't helpless, who could have—"

"The colorless king," the doll-like girl answered quietly.

"King?" Izumo hissed. Anna nodded. "Dammit!" Izumo pulled out his phone and began to call his king but soon hung up when a phone went off above his head. "Why can't that dumba—idiot,"—Izumo quickly caught himself once he realized who he was talking with—"at least take his phone!" He growled angrily.

"Izumo, Mikoto will be fine," Anna placated.

"Even you can't know that," he seethed.

 _"Izumo,"_ Anna urged with a determined look in her ruby red eyes. "Mikoto is strong. The colorless king is the weakest. Mikoto will be okay." Izumo knew she was right, but that didn't stop him from still being nervous for his friend. This would be the first time he'd be up against a king who would be ready to kill him. Sure, they've had their quarrels with the blues, but everyone knew those weren't real fights. The most that would happen would be a burn on a blue, or a slice on a red. Neither clan actually tried to kill one of the other. It was like an unspoken agreement that they were just there to let their kings blow off steam. But this wasn't one of those times. This would be a true battle, and no one knows what the new king's powers are. It was a dangerous situation.

"And," she added after the long pause. "I think Mikoto knows something we don't. I can feel something different about him. It's difficult to explain." Anna looked fished a marble out of the pocket of her nightie and stared intently at it. "Even this shows something is off," she put the transparent orb in his face as if he could see what she was seeing. "It's burning more brightly than before," she sighed almost sadly. Then yawned.

"Anna, you need to go back to bed. It's late, c'mon." The bartender walked around to where the girl was sitting and lifted her off the seat, into his arms. She didn't complain, instead she settled into the crook of his neck as if Anna had decided he was her new pillow. Izumo was about to take the first step up the stairs when Anna suddenly tensed and gasped. "Mikoto?!"

Izumo turned, thinking the king had entered silently through the back, but instead was faced with a situation much more odd. Nearly level with his eyes and only a foot or two away floated a little red marble. It burned intensely and seemed to almost emit an aura of its own. Under its own will the marble flew around the room in madness, getting brighter by the second. "Anna? What is it?"

The youngest HOMRA member was staring wide eyed at the marble. She was shaking but simultaneously looked utterly amazed. "Anna?"

"Mikoto's red . . . "

"Mikoto is doing that!?"

"Mikoto is angry," stated bluntly, the words didn't sound as if the man in question couldn't burn down cities with his anger. The orb flew around for a couple minutes more, the current inhabitants of the bar staring at it, mesmerized by the power coming off of it. Suddenly it stopped right above Anna's head and dropped instantly to the girl's outstretched hands. "It's over."

* * *

Tatara thought nothing of the strange aura emitting from the white-silver haired man humming over the railing. He knew he should have. "I'm Tatara Totsuka. What's your name?" He questioned and tried not to sound nervous when the man started to laugh. Suddenly the stranger turned around and had a gun pointed towards the cameraman.

 _Bang!_

Tatara had unconsciously closed his eyes as if it would help him take the bullet. But he felt no pain that was to come after being shot. But the sudden presence in front of him actually had him completely petrified until he recognized the almost unfamiliar aura of the red king. His aura was coming off of him at impossibly powerful levels as he seemed to radiate rage. "Tatara. Do not open your eyes for _any_ reason no matter what you hear. Not until I tell you it's okay."

"K-King?"

"Get back. Against the wall and _do not move."_ The redhead demanded. Tatara scrambled to the wall as quickly as he could with his forced blindness as to not further anger his king. Tatara knew that he could get away with most thing like teasing his king or pulling cruel pranks. But he—and everyone else—knew that when the most powerful member of the red clan was angry like he was now, it was best to do _exactly_ as he said as quickly as you could. They knew first-hand how scary the king could be when he was angered. It was not something Tatara ever wanted to be on the receiving end of. But despite what the younger man has witnessed, he never feared his friend.

Tatara listened to the confrontation intently.

* * *

"A-Ah, Red King," the young king stuttered. _Damn better be scared,_ Mikoto thought angrily. "You are an unexpected sight. Please let me ex—"

"Shut up," they were two simple words. But being said by a man like Mikoto when he was seething as he was, it wasn't anything less than terrifying. The colorless king was visibly shaking and stepped back to lean as far away from the other king as possible. The red king stepped closer and used his imposing height to lean over the boy menacingly. " _You_ just tried to _kill_ one of my very important clansmen, for _no_ reason. There is absolutely _nothing_ for you to explain." He could feel his eyes begin to glow with his anger and his aura grow even more restless. He let the power seep out into his aura, letting the colorless king know just how bad he had fucked up.

"I-I wasn't trying to kill him! It was just so I could get away without his realizing who I was! P-Please understand that!"

"I know _exactly_ what a sadistic minded person like you wanted to do, Colorless King. You were aiming for a vital area that would cause him to bleed out slowly and painfully. You wanted him to get help, have someone who cared about him find him choking on his own blood as he barely gasped for breath and let him die in their arms! _You don't deserve to live and I will personally see to that."_

* * *

Tatara wanted to stop his king. He knew the strain it would have on the man, but at the same time it was obvious his king knew something he didn't. Tatara was uncontrollably shaking from the sheer anger and power that radiated from the red aura. It was unlike anything he had felt before and it scared something deep inside of him despite the fact that it wasn't directed towards him. It was like being in the presence of a murderous lion who had just torn a friend apart and was now rounding on him with nothing but the intent to kill.

And this was all nothing but a second-hand feeling. He couldn't even _see_ his king's aura. He almost felt bad for the Colorless King who would be able to see his king's anger accompanied by his aura as it all focused in on him and him alone. Tatara took a deep breath and held himself back from Mikoto. This was obviously something that needed to happen.

* * *

Mikoto watched as emotions flew through the eyes of the terrified boy in front of him and felt satisfied with the emotion they landed on: fear. He watched as the white fox-like creature flew from the eyes of the host body and tried to escape through the city. "Oh no you don't," Mikoto growled angrily. He sent flames towards the creature flying away at tremendous speeds. The power that surged through him at that moment was something unbelievable as it was nothing but a simple fire. It almost scared himself how much power was now trapped inside of him to wield at his will.

 _I can deal with that later,_ he reminded himself. The colorless king was a much more important matter at the moment. The flames wrapped around the entity and yanked him back towards the balcony as the red king trapped it in his flaming aura. "I hope you didn't think it would be that easy, coward."

"P-Please," a different yet similar voice begged.

"Your days are numbered. No amount of begging will save you now."

Mikoto unleashed as much power as he was willing to risk, not wanting to destroy the area around them. The small creature slowly turned into a black and orange shape before he began to chip away against the flames. Mikoto balled up the power into the area the lump floated until it was all contained in one compact, circular shape. The creature completely dissolved and Mikoto let his powers disperse it even more until there was absolutely nothing remaining. He had felt no fear confronting a king. He felt no fear jumping in front of a gun as it fired. He felt no fear as he stared down a drop that would kill a lesser man.

What did scare him however, was the fact that he had used enough power to kill a king. Something that could easily cause a Damocles Down. But he felt no strain on his power. He didn't even feel the least bit tired. And that actually slightly scared him.

He then remembered who he was defending. He turned to his first true bit of proof that he had actually been sent back. Tarata was huddled in the corner between the wall and railing, arms wrapped around his legs and head tucked in between. "Ta . . tara?" Mikoto instantly felt a pang of guilt from looking at his long-dead-but-now-living-friend. He all but hoped that he wasn't the cause of his friend's current position, as idiotic as that hope may be.

"King?" Tatara stood, his seemingly forever happy expression plastered back on his face. "Why are you here? You were sleeping when—" He had no time to finish his sentence when he was suddenly scooped into Mikoto's strong arms and lifted completely off the ground in a crushing hug. Mikoto knew how odd it probably seemed to Tatara, but the younger caught on quickly how much Mikoto needed it and gently hugged back. He was _alive._ Here. Living, breathing, smiling, talking. It was something Mikoto had painfully accepted a year ago that he would never see again. But here it was.

He doesn't have to worry about the burden his clan held after the dead of their mother hen. None of them would even know the suffering they had been through in another life. They wouldn't have to deal with the pain of another loss. He picked the lost and broken and gave them a life. None of his members were ever meant to die, causing the others an extreme amount of pain and sorrow. He was eternally grateful now that Valentine's Day would not be a holiday no longer celebrated because of the memories it brought up of the past dead man's birthday. It was Anna's favorite holiday simply because of the many colors of red that would be everywhere during the season. Now poor Anna wouldn't have her birthday seem a little less enthusiastic because of the date of Tatara's death.

She could happily celebrate her birthday. Not cry and lock herself up. She could go out and enjoy the many hues of red during Valentine's Day without everyone telling her "not today." He smiled sadly while his face was hidden in the hug before taking control of it again and releasing the smaller man. He would gladly take the burden of the memories if it meant everyone else could be happy. He had already decided that what seemed like years ago when it was actually the completely opposite.

"King? Are you okay? What's all of this about?" He looked worriedly up at his king, trying to read him. For some reason though he was unable to hone in on what the older man was feeling, even thought he normally could decipher every tiny detail easily. "You seem . . . different? You also just hugged me," he added after a second.

"Let's just get back, I'll explain to everyone later," the older man threw off the question.

Tatara smiled brightly once again. "Right! Poor Anna-chan is probably worried sick! How could you leave her like that?!" He questioned playfully. Mikoto still secretly wondered how his friend could throw stuff off so easily as if nothing just happened. He just about got shot but here he is: smiling and jumping down the stairs as if he had just won the lottery and was rushing to go tell everyone. Mikoto sighed and followed the echo of footsteps left by the cheery man.

The redhead still didn't know what to do about all of this. Of course he had to tell his core clan members at one point or another. He's sure Anna, Izumo, and Tatara have already noticed something different. It's not like Mikoto remembered how he acted and what he said three years ago. He needed to wait though as to not put a damper on Anna's birthday. Again.

His powers were also more potent and alive than before. It made sense how the swords did so much damage now if they fell. If they held that much power they _would_ blow up a city or two upon impact—or the entire island of Japan, he reminded himself grimly. Mikoto cursed. He still wasn't sure about the fact that he had basically absorbed his sword and now had probably three times the power of before. Maybe more. But Tatara was alive. Anna's birthday hadn't been ruined. Now he wouldn't die a few years in the future and cause more pain to everyone around. Thinking deeply now, he had never realized how much Anna must have been hurting. Mikoto cursed himself again. She was too good at hiding her emotions when she wanted to. Her favorite holiday and birthday had been destroyed for the years to come. The person who took care of her when no one else knew what they were doing had died, and all anyone could think of was revenge.

Sure, when it first happened he had allowed Anna to stay and they comforted each other until they both were able to calm the emotions neither of them showed. But then he didn't allow anyone near him. He was too out of control. The king didn't want to hurt anyone else because he couldn't keep his powers in check. So he locked himself up for days, only allowing Izumo in to bring food that he hardly ever ate.

Even after he had reined his power in it was still bad. They picked up on his emotions—how much he wanted to destroy Tatara's murderer—and misinterpreted it for anything. He was scared that if he let his guard down for even a second they would unleash on the nearest form of life. He knew that when he used the less potent form of flames—like those for the initiation—they wouldn't hurt anyone who was constantly around him. But put a little more force behind them and they could burn through his friends just as easily. Mikoto stopped, now worried about the same exact thing as three years ago. Apparently these first few days may end up being the same, except this time he has no explanation to the others that they will understand other than "oh by the way, I'm from the future."

"King!" A chirpy voice sounded from a couple flights below. "We'll never make it back if you keep walking like you are now!" A laughed echoed off of the metal stairs and rails.

Mikoto grunted. "Coming."

"Ha! Hurry up then!"

Mikoto forgot how much he missed the man now waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Tatara and Izumo were the only ones who weren't afraid to tease him and scold him for idiotic things. When Tatara died Izumo had backed down on the teasing, but he did occasionally yell at Mikoto for especially stupid acts. But before Tatara had died, he and Izumo had pulled many ingenious pranks on their king. He was definitely going to have to keep an eye out again now.

Once he caught up to Tatara they both picked up the pace to get to the bar quickly. "Tatara? What time is it?" Mikoto remembered exactly what time it had been when he got the call about his friend the first time around. Tatara pulled out his phone to glance at the time. "12:10, why?"

Three minutes ago in other life. He would be sitting in his chair, Anna curled up in his arms as they sat for what seemed like an eternity while waiting for his friends to return with Tatara. His fires raging but Anna somehow helped keep them at bay. She had basically taken Tatara's place as beast tamer since that night, and Mikoto was grateful for her maturity. She understood as she had to strain with her mental abilities as well. They had basically been each other's support when their shared tamer died.

But now he was back and Mikoto could feel his power recognize the man they thought had been lost for good. He felt calmer just by being beside the man, and his powers did too. It was as if Tatara's kindheartedness alone sparked something inside of Mikoto to help calm his inner demons. "Nothing," he answered. Tatara examined him out of the corner of his eye but Mikoto just ignored it. He knows he's acting different. He's still in his mindset of years into the future, not the time he's currently in. Hopefully he didn't change _that_ much or else everyone would notice.

"Oh! I forgot to ask earlier, but what did you get for Anna? I found these cute little sandals that I know she'll love!"

What did he get for her? They never really celebrated her birthday but Mikoto remembers having gave Anna her present at one point. He nearly face-palms as he remembers. He gave her that dress she wore all the time in the years after Tatara's death. She also found the shoes the then-dead man had hidden away and decided to wear them coupled with the dress and hat all the time. He doesn't know where she got the rest, like the hat and bows. He always thought Izumo had just taken her shopping while he was cooped up in his room just to get everyone out.

"A dress."

"Aww! I knew you cared!" Tatara teased.

". . . Shut up," Mikoto turned his head away.

"Is King embarrassed?" The other full blown laughed now. Mikoto said nothing. "Don't worry! It's her birthday so everyone will have gifts for her!"

Mikoto mumbled a "whatever" and they continued on as Tatara talked about a billion random things.

* * *

A ding from the bell above signaled the entrance of the two men into the bar. "Mikoto! Tatara!" Anna hopped off the stool she was perched on and ran to the two, pulling them together for the best hug a small child could give to two men twice her size. "I was worried," she told with large, happy eyes. Mikoto remembers that she had told him about her vision of Tatara a while after his death. He had been upset that she hadn't told him until she explained why. There was no way of them knowing when it was going to happen and Anna didn't want everyone to worry, even thought they ended up hurt in the end anyways.

The tallest of the three put a large hand gently on her hatless head, giving her a kind pat. "Happy birthday Anna-chan!" Tatara shouted happily and bent down to give her a hug of his own. Mikoto mumbled his own happy birthday, said something about Anna going to bed, and then began to head up to his own bed with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Izumo blocked his path to the stairway. "Not until you explain just what the hell is going on."

Mikoto gave a half-hearted glare but sighed when the tallest man stood firm. "I'll explain later. Not tonight."

"No, you'll explain now. We deserve an answer from you," both pairs of eyes narrowed.

"No I won't. It's Anna's birthday and I'm not going to ruin that because you're too stubborn to wait," sighed the king. He had hoped to get upstairs before anyone stopped him. "Now move." There was an underlying tone in the order that told Izumo he wasn't in the mood. The blonde moved to the side with his arms crossed as the redhead quickly climbed the stairs to his room.

Kusanagi's eyes followed the man heading up the stairs until he was out of sight. They then turned to the pair on the other side of the room. "Anna, it's late. You do need to go to bed like Mikoto said. Everyone's fine so there's nothing to worry about." The little girl turned pleading eyes to the one closest to her but he didn't fall for it. "He's right, Anna-chan. You need to sleep or you will be in bed during your entire birthday! I'll even give you a little show tonight when I come up, okay?" Anna's eyes lit up and she happily scampered up the stairs. Izumo sighed, irritated.

When he was sure Anna was out of hearing range he walked over to his friend and whacked him on the head. Idiot! You don't say 'a little show tonight' like that to her! Do you realize how dirty that sounds? Find a different way!"

"Ow! I thought King was the only one who did that!"

"Someone has to when the lazy oaf is already asleep."

"But Izumo you were the only one thinking about it that way," pouted Tatara. Izumo was glad they had finally broken the younger man of the habit of giving him and Mikoto an honorific even after telling him multiple times it wasn't needed. Then he realized was else was said after.

"You little brat! You're so lucky we're in the bar!" Tatara just laughed and ran from the older man. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" He laughed more until they both stopped and flopped on the couch. They both sat in silence until they caught their breath.

"So what happened with you two?" Izumo asked seriously. They both knew this wasn't a matter to be playing around with. The paler-haired man sighed. "I went up to the balcony of that one building near the edge of the city—the one I told you had a great view—to get some videos. There was some guy up there humming a nice little song so I just introduced myself when he started to laugh. Then he turned around and shot at me, but it never hit me. I'm only guessing King dissolved it or something because I had closed my eyes when I sensed him there. But Izumo it didn't feel like him at first. His presence was completely different, so much—"

"I know," Izumo admitted. "I felt it when he first left and a when he came back, not as strong but still overwhelming. I'm not sure what happened to him since yesterday, but he's done something. Keep explaining?"

"Okay, well, he told me to get back and keep my eyes closed. Apparently he knew the colorless king's ability somehow. They started to talk and King's aura just kept growing more angry and powerful until they fought. It was weird though, the fight. You know how you can always sense the surge when a king's sword shows?"

Izumo nodded.

"I didn't feel it, but I did at the same time. It felt like the power had been there the entire time inside of showing up all at once and then vanishing again. I'm not even sure how to explain it. Then there was just the heat from his fire everywhere. I could feel the power and I knew he was using it to kill the king."

 _"What?"_ Izumo shouted. "He should have known better! He can't just go around killing kings like—"

"The thing is," Tatara interrupted before his friend had a complete meltdown. "He feels the same. You know he does. He didn't act like he had just used enough power to kill someone that powerful, even if it was just the colorless king. When we were walking back I could still sense all of his power being bottled up more since his rage wasn't completely taking control. That's all it was though. He felt fine, and I don't know how or why."

Izumo sat back to think. He had felt the immense presence seeping out of his friend, so that was no surprise. But killing a king with his powers instead of a physical weapon would take an extreme toll on any king. There was no way for Mikoto to just be fine. That being said, he really _didn't_ give a sense of exhaustion of his abilities. Izumo knows that Mikoto bottles up his aura so as to not seem even more intimidating than he already was. Even normal civilians can sense the danger that comes off of clansmen, even more so on kings. Everyone has noticed how Mikoto reins in his powers as much as he can until they feel extremely dampened even though they could be unleashed at full force in a moment's notice. They also knew he didn't necessarily want people to be afraid of him unless he felt like they deserved it. Those people however felt a little more than fear. Especially when the king was in a bad mood.

"We might just need to wait until he explains everything. Based on what he said I have a feeling this won't be a pleasant story," suggested the oldest one.

"But at least we'll understand," the other agreed. A moment later, "I feel like we're gossiping as if we're in high school again."

Izumo sighed, then gave a small huff of laughter. "Idiot," he shook his head, amused, before standing up. "I'm heading on to bed. It's been a long night and I need a rest before tomorrow. You should head to bed too."

"Ye-ap," was the noise that came out of Tatara's mouth as he stood. "Probably," he smiled. "Night Izumo!"

Izumo waved and went to shut off the lights. He heard the door shut upstairs.

 _These next few days are going to be crazy._

He went for his room as well, everyone in the bar finally retiring to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N#3: Well here it is! This is more of a long prologue than an actual chapter. The chapters are going to be a bit longer I hope, so this is going to be short in comparison. I don't have a beta, but I did look through it one last time for any mistakes. Please point out any that I might have missed! Chapters will probably come out weekly. I never realized how long it takes to write a decent sized chapter, and this isn't even going to be as long as I want most of my to be! Someone better start spamming me to get my ass to work if I end up being late, lol. Some weeks may be slow as I do have school and exams and all of the other great things life brings (ha). I will generally warn everyone in the chapter before though. If there is anything I missed please warn me. I feel like I'm missing something even now O.O so help is appreciated. I will also respond to reviews as much as I can and I love each and every one that I get, so if you want to say something feel free! :)**

 **Until next time!**

— **Alaya**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING (except this fic o-o)**

 **Word Count: 9,275**

 **A/N#1: I feel like putting the title and author is kind of redundant so I will just put the disclaimer, author's notes and a couple other things here and there. So here is CHAPTAH NUMBAH TWO-AH. I'm kinda hyper right now for some reason so idk how this is gonna go lol. Good luck for those who are going to read this madness, you can do it, Soldiers! But first, I must go and create! Wish me luck as I destroy our enemies: writer's block, school, and homework! I need to stop lol. Anyway, enjoy everyone!**

 **By the way, I'm complete trash with summaries. I've already changed it three times and I just can't find something I like. If there is anyone out there kind enough to help me make one that will draw people in I will be eternally grateful. I always run out of character before I even get halfway through what I want to do D: so I need a summary pro to save me!**

* * *

Mikoto should have known how difficult it was going to be. He remembered how hard it was to get his original powers under control, but now he feels like he just had a plane ram into him at full speed. He did it before though and this time he has experience with it. All he really wants is to have enough control to show at Anna's birthday party without being hindered by the fear of hurting his friends. He was so focused on forcing his powers down he almost didn't notice the door open.

"Mikoto?" Mikoto immediately lowers his amber eyes to meet those of Anna. "What are you doing?"

Of course she could probably sense his internal struggles. He tried to calm his powers down as much as he could for the moment. "Nothing, Anna. Just been a long day. You know what just happened, anyway."

She gasped slightly before looking down as if she had just been scolded. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

He slid over so she could climb on the bed beside of him, which she immediately did when the space was made. "Its okay. I know why you didn't."

"Mikoto isn't upset?" She questioned innocently.

"No."

"Is Mikoto hurt?" The girl was too smart for her own good. She understood the implications of fighting—especially with kings—so well at such a young age. He almost felt bad that she had been forced into a violent world like that at an even younger age than she was now. Those people had already got what was coming to them though. Mikoto made sure of that.

"No, Anna, I'm fine. There's a lot I can't explain to you right now. But I will soon."

"But I know a lot of it now. Mikoto has been projecting, so something is wrong," Anna pointed out. Mikoto cursed under his breath. With everything else that has been going on he forgot that his thoughts have been going straight to Anna all day.

He looked at her sadly. "You know what's wrong. It's all that's been on my mind." She looked at her lap again to avoid his eyes. "Sorry," she meekly apologized again.

Mikoto carefully wrapped on arm around her, wanting to comfort her, not hurt her. "I told you, it's okay. It's my fault for not keeping everything in check anyway."

"So Tatara really died?" His fire surged angrily at that sentence. Mikoto forced it back down. "And you almost did too?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"But Mikoto came back and fixed it. For us." She suddenly hugged him. "Mikoto is a good King, even if he doesn't think so." That statement oddly warmed his heart and calmed his flames. Mikoto wrapped his other arm around the girl as they sat there for what seemed like peaceful years until footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. Anna released him then and hopped down from the bed.

"It's Tatara! He said he was going to give me a show tonight so I want to be there," she smiled small.

 _"Give you a show?"_ Mikoto repeated in disbelief. What the hell?

"He makes pretty things with his red, like butterflies or lions," Anna explained as if it was obvious to begin with. Mikoto rubbed his eyes tiredly before nodding an ok to the silver-haired girl. She slid out of the door quietly and shut it softly. Now with Anna's presence gone Mikoto's flames roared up again. He sighed, _I've done it before, I can do it again._ He began once more to concentrate his control over the fiery red aura.

* * *

Tatara had walked to Anna's door, only to find it slightly ajar and the room empty. He figured she was either in his room or—most likely—Mikoto's. His thoughts were answered quickly though when her soft steps trailed out of the king's room to meet Tatara. He smiled at her warmly. They both walked into the room and she settled herself back into the bed and rested her head on the puffy red pillow. "Ready?" Anna nodded.

Suddenly the area around the bed lit up in a warm red with beautiful shapes swimming within. She could feel the slight heat coming off the of red but it wasn't enough to burn. It was a comforting heat, like Mikoto's. The girl stared in awe at the flames that seemingly moved on their own. She was transfixed on the lion that prowled around the outer wall of the red. She always had a love for animals such as lions or dinosaurs, things strong and powerful. But also for smaller things such as butterflies, frail but beautiful.

Tatara had picked up on this quickly and always made sure his pictures showed those types of things for Anna. He knew where she got those thoughts from. Mikoto was like a lion, protective over his family, but angry and dangerous around those who tried to get in his way or hurt them. He unwillingly accepted the fact that he was the butterfly, though he tried to think of himself more like a bee or something with at least _a little_ bit of bite. When he voiced this thought Anna had just smiled and said a butterfly was much better. Since then he had been officially a butterfly.

Izumo had laughed and even Mikoto gave a small chuckle when Anna brought it up at breakfast the next morning.

* * *

 _Izumo, Anna, Mikoto, and Tatara had all been in the bar early that morning. Mikoto lounging lazily on the couch while the other three ate at the bar. "See Tatara? Mikoto is the lion," the man in question opened one eye lazily in interest. "And you_ —"

 _Anna-chan no! Hush!" Tatara said quickly and put a hand over her mouth. She mumbled something incoherently under his hand and gave wide eyes to Izumo._

 _"Oh come on, Tatara, it can't be that bad," Izumo said in amusement._

 _"Yes it can!"_

 _Anna continued to stare. Izumo sighed with a smile before walked around the bar to the pair who were in the stools on the other side._

 _"No! No stay away! Run!" Tatara tried to carry the young girl away but was too slow with the added weight. Izumo smiled smugly, knowing the younger man would have been able to get away in a true battle of speed. Tatara's speed and agility was second only to that of Mikoto, and sometimes Yata with the skateboard. "That's the only reason you're still alive," Mikoto had mumbled once after another one of his near-death-escapes. Tatara figured that's what made up for his lack of offensive ability._

 _"No! Don't!" Tatara tried to break away, but the taller man was much stronger and easily broke his grip on Anna. The doll-like girl dropped unceremoniously onto the stool at the far end of the bar where they stood. She looked up happily as if her point had been proven. "See? Butterfly," maybe it had been. Izumo outright laughed, and Mikoto—who had been watching the entire scene with an amused look_ _—chuckled quietly._

 _"Anna-chan noooooo!" Tatara whined childishly._

 _"_ That's _what you were so intent to hide? I swear your reaction made it even better!" Izumo smiled with slightly watery eyes from laughing. "Wonder what I'd be . . . " Izumo immediately decided he would rather not know and lunged for Anna, covered her mouth much in the same way Tatara had done. "On second though, maybe not." Izumo knew Anna meant no harm by calling Tatara a butterfly, but who knows what she would come up for him._

 _This time Anna gave her wide, pleading eyes to Tatara who in turned looked to Mikoto with an evil grin. Izumo noticed this and tried to inch his way through the door before the king could get up. "King?" Tatara sounded too innocent for the evil man they all knew he secretly was._

 _"No Mikoto it isn't that big of a deal! Just . . go back to sleep or something!" He could feel Anna smile against his hand and was scared for his reputation as he bolted for the door when Mikoto was just starting to shift from his sleeping position on the couch._

 _There was a swoosh of air and suddenly impossibly strong hands wrapped themselves to each of Izumo's arms. "Mikoto dam"_ — _there was a threatening squeeze on his arm before he could finish that word_ — _"don't!" Tatara watched gleefully and Izumo glared at him. Even the second-in-command was no match for their king's strength and speed. Izumo fought with all of his might but it was hopeless. Mikoto didn't even give the curtesy of at least seeming to struggle with the taller man. He just held him as if he was a child who didn't want to leave a friend's house yet._ This is probably how Anna feels all the time _, Izumo thought, exasperated. When Izumo seemed to finally give up Mikoto effortlessly pulled Izumo's arms from the girl and she plopped back into the same seat as before._

 _With Mikoto now directly interested and standing right beside him, Izumo knew there was no escape from this. He let his arms hang as he sighed in defeat. "Fine then," he glared at an amused Mikoto. "What about me?"_

 _"You are like a . . a bee!" She seemed happy about her assessment. Izumo could live with a bee. At least it wasn't completely helpless like a butterfly. But how come they all are getting tiny insects when Mikoto gets to be a_ lion! _Izumo glared at the man again before flopping down on a stool himself with crossed arms._

 _"Could be worse," he said to defend himself. Mikoto grinned again and Tatara laughed. Even Anna had a smile._

 _"Hey now, don't pout!" Tatara teased._

 _"I'm not, Mr. Butterfly!" Izumo rebuked._

* * *

Tatara smiled at the memory. He loved the little moments like that. If only he had had his camera when it happened. Him and Mikoto could be a good team too, but he'd much rather tease and prank his king. Tatara secretly loved the thrill of upsetting someone who could burn him to a crisp if pushed far enough. The king didn't really show his evilly playful side to the others. Those moments only came out around any of the four of them. Tatara was glad King trusted him enough to show his softer sides.

He looked back to Anna and noticed her sleeping form. He kissed her softly on the forehead before heading to his own room for the night. Digging through his closet he found the gift for Anna and made sure it was still perfectly wrapped before hiding it away once again. He changed before climbing under the covers of his bed and closing his eyes.

* * *

The morning had started off _interesting_ to say the least. Yata and Kamamoto had rushed in the doors mid-fight and ran completely into Chitose who in turn smacked into one of the stools which then hit rather forcefully into Izumo's bar. Said man had watched the entire thing in painfully slow motion and now glared daggers at the blonde and chestnut-haired men. When the stool finally slid away there was a small, barely noticeable crack in the wood. The two causes of the domino affect gulped loudly when the tall blonde made his way towards them with a deceivingly calm smile.

"K-Kusanagi-san, I'm sorry!" Yata had basically gone down on his knees to beg for forgiveness. After watching his smaller friend, Kamamoto followed suit, hoping to lessen the beating they were surely to get. "We're sorry!" The both said.

All of the other core members of HOMRA—other than Mikoto who was keeping Anna upstairs to stall so they could set up—watched with smiles. They had all been face-to-face with the terrifying anger of Kusanagi when his bar had been harmed. That didn't mean that they couldn't laugh at the misfortune of their friends, even though all of them had taken similar positions of fear while begging for their lives. If every person in this room decided to try to fight the bartender when he was in this kind of mood, they would still be completely destroyed. _That's_ how bad it was when someone hurt his precious bar.

Later, when Bando was blowing up a bright red balloon and was nearly finished, Akagi had snuck up on him and yelled in his ear. The hooded one had screamed into the balloon, causing it to pop. That surprised Akagi who jumped back into Dewa who fell into Izumo who was busy cleaning the glasses they needed for the party. Having caught Dewa did end in the casualty of four glasses that were knocked off the counter, curtesy of Dewa's elbow. The dark-haired man was now the current one begging for his life. The other two saw the glares from Kusanangi however, and knew they were next.

After Dewa had managed to keep his life Fujishima had began his decent into the madness. He had found a litter of kittens near the side of the road. The mother cat had been squashed under the tire of a car, its body flat in the road. The animal-lover had gathered the kittens in a box and they were now mewling on the corner of the bar. "What's that sound? Isn't that box the one with the cups?" Izumo looked over to the box he had been placing the glasses he finished cleaning in.

"U-Uh, no?" Fujishima was in some shit now, and they all knew it.

The blonde looked inside the box to find six kittens curling around, licking and smacking around the glasses he had placed in the box by mistake. "Fujishima!"

"I'm sorry!"

Yes, it has been a very hectic morning indeed. Now here they were, almost noon—the time Mikoto was told to bring Anna down—, with almost nothing done. If anything, they had just made a complete mess. Stringers that were supposed to be hanging off the walks lined the floor in a half attempt at order. Balloons sat in a sad pile with the icky remains of their lost companion, curtesy of Akagi—or Bando considering on how you looked at it. Shards of glass gleamed at the top of the trash pile where Dewa, Akagi, and Bando had thrown them after cleaning up the shattered pieces of the glasses. There was even a _box of kittens_ sitting on the bar where they were supposed to eat. Izumo was scared to even enter the kitchen to see how Tatara and Eric were fairing with the food. They were the only ones he half-trusted to not blow something up and actually create a decent meal. "Eric-kun! I told you it has to be red! _That_ is not red!" Came Tatara's voice from the kitchen. Maybe he though too soon.

"I told you not to call me that! It sounds bad—no don't do—it will be red when I'm done! Stop touching that!" Eric yelled in return. Izumo pinched the bridge of his nose before adjusting his glasses and heading into the kitchen. He turns a corner to see Eric fending off Tatara who was trying to reach over the taller one's back to the food on the table before him. "I thought I could at least trust you two," muttered an irritated Izumo loud enough for the other occupants of the kitchen to hear. Both immediately stoped. Tatara smiled and Eric muttered something in English before going back to his work. "Aw but Izumo, you can!"

"Apparently not," he said and gestured to the pair.

"We didn't mess anything up," he defended.

"Yet."

"Come on!" Tatara whine slightly. "Have more trust in us than that!"

"I had enough trust to let you set foot in this kitchen, be happy you got that much," the bartender stated blandly.

"Right, now just give it a _little_ more and you'll be right where we need ya!"

"A little more is what allowed you to be in the kitchen _alone._ "

Tatara sighed. "How many times has someone messed up something this morning?"

"More than you want to know."

"Fine! We'll finish up in here without any commotion, just take care of the others. It's almost noon and we can't disappoint Anna-chan! When she's sad it's the most heartbreaking thing you'll ever see," Tatara clutched at his heart in mock pain. "If you're the cause of that expression you better get down quick, because once Mikoto notices . . . " He trailed off. There was no need to finish that. Mikoto was slightly protective over their smallest member, but wasn't everyone? But he was the one who would just as quickly burn the cause as he would comfort Anna. They never knew what they were going to get, so best to not even risk it.

"I'm blaming it on you," Izumo finished and quickly ducked out of the kitchen and back to the mess of a bar. Seeing even more madness has ensued since his absence grates on his final nerve. He had tried getting everyone's attention in a civilized manner, but when they all seemed to either ignore him or not hear him he decided against it. "Alright everyone shut the hell up right now or I will personally kick each and every one of your asses!"

Everyone froze instantly, thinking something had happened to his bar again. Izumo sighed. How had he gotten trapped into this? "This place is an utter disaster and Anna will be down here in less than an hour. If we don't get something done then Anna will be disappointed, making the king mad at _us_ because we failed to do this one simple task. We don't need a repeat of last time we hurt her feelings, right?" Izumo reminded grimly. A collective shiver went across the room.

A lot had happened that day and apparently something had happened to Anna as well that caused the girl to even shed a tear or two. She had tried to hide it, but Mikoto was too observant when he wanted to be and noticed quickly. When he found out his clan was the cause, well, lets just say they each left with a permanent reminder to never upset the girl again. The terrifying image of their angry king would have been enough for them, but a physical reminder seemed to be required at that moment.

"What do we do?" They were all intent to listen now, knowing what was at stake.

"Tatara and Eric are cooking. I want the tallest ones to work on the streamers and the rest of you hang up the balloons. If one pops clean it up and throw it again. I'm going to set everything up. If any of you come _anywhere_ near this bar—" The sounds of them stumbling away and to their assigned job kept him from finishing his threat. The message had been sent and received.

* * *

"You already know what they're doing, right?" Mikoto asked the small girl beside him. Anna had entered his room about an hour earlier and was now lounging on the bed with Mikoto. The red king had spent the entire night reading his power and just learning what he could do to prevent it from going out of control. He had actually made surprising progress through the night, thought he hasn't slept for over 24 hours if you counted the time before he was sent back. That alone was unheard of. But this past day has been a little more than crazy so it wasn't much of a shock.

But now that Anna was beside of him his powers had instantly calmed, much like they did with Tatara. It was like they sensed the frailty of the two and wanted nothing more than to protect them with everything they had. Or maybe his aura was getting that from Mikoto. He felt Anna nod against his arm as her answer to his question.

"I heard them talking about it yesterday, and it was what they thought of all night. Mikoto huffed in amusement, shaking his head slightly. "They aren't very good at surprises," he agreed.

"It doesn't help when you can read their minds," Anna added much to Mikoto's surprise. He tilted his head down to get a better look at the girl. She just cuddled herself closer to his side.

"Was that a joke?"

Anna said nothing so Mikoto let it be, a small smile the only proof of Anna's statement. He glanced over at his nightstand to check the time—but the clock still needed its batteries replaced—and noticed the rose. He stared at it for what was probably an unhealthy amount of time, just reminiscing on the memories it brought. Not all memories were bad—in fact, most were pretty good—but the good ones always reminded him of the bad ones that were the reasons the good ones could no longer happen. But now he could replace all of the bad with some new good. He hoped.

He no longer had his sword to drag him and the rest of his members down, so there was really nothing stopping them from finally being happy. Yet.

Mikoto kept doing that to himself: preparing for the worst as if it was already set in motion. Maybe it was. He tried to get his thoughts out of the gutter when there was a knock on his door. Mikoto figured it was after noon and they were waiting for them downstairs. Mikoto opened the door and looked down slightly to meet the glowing eyes of Tatara. "King you're running late! We're all waiting for you two!"

Mikoto yawned. "Was just giving some extra time," he nodded towards Anna who happily jumped out of the bed and ran between the two men partially blocking the door. Tatara smiled after her. "At least she's happy!" Mikoto remembered a similar scene, but much more grim.

* * *

 _Instead of Tatara it had been Izumo. Instead of happy, he had a mask to hide his broken-heartedness. Instead of a greeting full of kindness and excitement, it was that of sorrow and remorse. They were waiting on Anna and Mikoto, yes, but more a completely different reason. "We can't hold it off until tomorrow," Izumo had told him sadly, looking at the girl who had obviously been crying. "We don't have the right stuff to keep him from . . well."_

 _"Okay."_

 _There was a rumor once that if a person of the red clan died with their abilities in tact their bodies would fall apart much quicker due to its need for the flames. They never thought it was actually true, but now they had proof. They had all agreed to hold off the funeral until after Anna's birthday, but Tatara's body was decomposing much too quick. It would be a horrid picture if they waited any longer. "We'll meet you down there," Izumo told and left._

 _"Anna?" Mikoto put a hand to the girl's back, her front shoved against the bed._

 _"We really can't wait? I don't want to say goodbye yet," she mumbled with a sadness Mikoto had never saw before._

 _"I think we would all rather preserve him in our memory as he is now, and not what he will be tomorrow if we don't hurry. I'm sorry Anna, I should have been there with him. I_ knew _something was wrong when I went up there the first time but I just ignored it. I just_ —"

 _"It is not Mikoto's fault. He can't blame himself."_

 _Mikoto sighed. Anna lifted her head from the pillow for the first time. He could tell she had been crying at some point. Her eyelashes had stuck together with the tears, her eyes shined more than normal, and small, barely noticeable spots remained on the pillow. It was odd to see such an emotionless child show such obvious signs. "Let's go please, I don't want to think about it anymore."_

 _"Okay."_

 _The funeral had been short but impactful. They each gave a few words, even Anna and Mikoto. Yata was the only one publicly crying, but many seemed like they were fighting the tears and were about to lose the battle. When they had all said their farewells Anna asked Mikoto to lift her up to Tatara who was laying on a small pile and wood and stick. They had gone to an abandoned part of the beach since Tatara had always loved the water. It felt like the right place to let his soul float away to. Mikoto did what Anna asked and lifted her to the dead man's face. She gave a small, lingering kiss to his forehead before taking off the earring he always wore. She ran a small hand through his still soft hair and placed one more small kiss before Mikoto placed her back to the sand._

 _Many others had finally begun to cry at the scene that played before them._

 _"Ready?" Mikoto had asked, not really sure if he was ready himself. When everyone had finally wiped away their tears and nodded Mikoto unleashed his aura towards the wooden structure. All of it ignited with the beautiful flames as they licked away at the wooden before making way quickly towards the top. The entirety of the structure lit up in hues of pink and red. Most onlookers left quickly after, not wanting to see Tatara's body completely vanish. The rest stayed until everything was gone and floating in the wind around them. Anna had stared wordlessly the entire time right up until the flames died when they had nothing left to burn._

 _She then proceeded to fall to her knees and let out a small sob. Mikoto quickly fell to the ground beside her and the girl instantly wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Mikoto also placed his head in the crook of her neck as they sat there with her for hours, only leaving once the waves started to creep near. "I'm sorry, Anna," he had said once more though it never felt like enough._

 _"Not Mikoto's fault. Never will be," she had once more answered._

 _"I know."_

* * *

Seeing Anna like that had nearly brought him to tears himself. "King?" Mikoto shook himself out of his stupor.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Tatara observed the taller man for a second. "Well? You coming? Wouldn't be our princess's birthday without our king!"

"Yeah, okay."

Tatara hopped happily down the stairs and shortly after Mikoto walked down in a much lazier fashion. Anna was surrounded by many HOMRA members, all telling her happy birthday and giving her a hug and the roses. She smiled brightly. "Mikoto-san!" Yata waved. Many looked up and greeted him in a similar fashion. He nodded his acknowledgement, not wanting to take the attention away from Anna.

"So Anna-chan, present first or food?" The room went silent to allow the quiet girl to speak. Her stomach spoke for her though, emitting a loud grumble when all the attention was on her. Everyone laughed and Anna blushed with a small smile. "Guess that answers _that_ question!"

Eric came out with enough food to feed an army—or Mikoto and Yata—in his arms. Yata and Kamamoto had both reached quickly for the food, a sharp slap to their hands denied them of the meal. Eric glared at the pair. Kamamoto shrunk back while Yata glared back. Tatara suddenly wrapped an arm around the chestnut-haired boy and drug him away from Eric without making a scene. "Anna has to blow out the candles on her cake first!" He gave an evil smile to Yata that told him to not mess anything up by doing something stupid, like fighting. Yata paled slightly and gulped. Even Tatara—the seemingly innocent one of the original trio—could be scary when he wanted to be.

Eric came back out with the bright red and black cake, candles already settled on top. "Right then!" Tatara removed his arm from Yata and clapped his hands together. "Izumo?" He looked to the bartender, the cake, and back to the bartender expectantly. Izumo took the lighter from his pocket and sent a small array of fireballs towards the candles, lighting them with a _pop!_

Anna smiled. She would be happy simply getting to watch the red clan members use their powers for the smallest things. The show of red was enough to satisfy any wants she had. She sucked in a huge breath to prepare to blow out the candles. She noticed Tatara now recording her with his chunky camera. "Don't forget to make a wish!" She paused for a moment before letting out the air she had been holding. The candles blew out quickly against the forceful air. Everyone gathered around and picked off a candle to lick clean and place to the side. Tatara cut a piece out for every member, making sure Anna and himself both got a corner. No one else seemed to care about the amount of icing, but Tatara knew Anna secretly loved it. The way her eyes lit up when he slid the especially sweet piece her way told him that rather quickly.

Tatara had simply cut the next row of the cake in half instead of thirds or fourths when he saw they went to Mikoto and Yata. The pair alone could eat a restaurant clean in one night. They both eagerly took the larger pieces. He knew Yata got plenty of exercise, but how Mikoto managed to stay in such perfect shape was beyond him. Maybe it was a king thing.

Everyone munched quietly and quickly, little chatter went on, but it was a comfortable silence as they all enjoyed the food. "Seems Chihuahua enjoys the food," Eric muttered smugly.

"Oi! Shut up!" But it came out as a garbled mess since Yata was midway through a mouthful of cake. The ones who weren't currently stuffing their faces smiled.

The food was gone in record time, people giving compliments to the chefs—except Yata who was too prideful to do anything but grumble to Eric—before throwing away their emptied plates. "Anna-chan, you ready to open your present?" Tatara announced excitedly. Mikoto had left the dress upstairs—planning on just grabbing it and handing it to her—and went up to grab it before being stopped by Tatara.

"Woah, woah, woah, King! I knew you probably wouldn't have wrapped it up so I decided to do you a favor and fix it all up for you! I'm guessing it was the only dress in your closet," he spoke so only the king in question could hear. Mikoto grunted before heading back to where the group was now: surrounding Anna who was faced with a large pile of red-wrapped gifts. Some were small and some were larger, some boxes and some not.

Anna reached over for the closest thing to her: a shiny red bag. It was from Yata, Kamamoto, and Eric. No one knows how Kamamoto somehow managed to keep the other two in check long enough to get the gift. Inside were three burgundy ribbons, each similar is size and color. Anna smiled happily at the three, holding one of the soft, silky items in her hand delicately. The next was a box from Bando, Akagi, Fijushima, and Chitose. Inside was an assortment of ruby necklaces, bracelets, and even a ring. Anna tried on the ring to see that it was a perfect fit for her small fingers. "Thank you!" She said in a small voice. The next thing she grabbed was a medium sized box from Izumo, who was standing farther back with Mikoto.

She tore the papery covering to a box with an opened top. Picking the top away revealed a small, frilly hat. Anna thought the hat was perfect and knew she would wear it constantly now. She smiled to Izumo who acknowledged her with a small smile of his own. Next was a wide, short box from Tatara. She pretty much already knew what was inside. Opening the box uncovered a pair of small, red sandals with slight heels. Tatara smiled happily at Anna's reaction and gave her a quick hug before sliding her last gift towards her. "This is King's," he whispered to her. Anna smiled, slightly surprised, and eagerly tore into the wrapping.

Everyone was curious to see what the king had gotten their princess and were slowly inching there way to see what was hidden away. Anna lifted a black and red dress from the box by its shoulders and let it flow down, the bottom brushing against the ground. Anna's eyes lit up once more in adornment of the new garment she could call her own. She glanced back to Mikoto who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. She placed the dress back in the box delicately so as to not wrinkle it, stood, and went to Mikoto to wrap her small arms around his waist.

The redhead seemed surprised to get such an open reaction from her but put a hand on her head a moment later. "Thank you, Mikoto," she whispered into his stomach.

Mikoto was happy that this day has finally went right, despite the many, many ways it could have fallen apart in an instant. He never knew the affect Tatara had until he lost him, and then got him back again. He was still wary though. He had been warned that his future no longer exists, meaning he doesn't know any of what is to come. He sighed wearily. Today was not the day to be thinking about those things.

* * *

About an hour later most of the mess had been sorted through a cleaned. The trash bin now nearly glowed red with the amount of items of the color within it. None of HOMRA's members were very sentimental over the gift wrapping and everyone had decided that throwing it away would be the easiest course of action. Mikoto and Tatara helped bring her presents up to her room and find a good place for the more fragile pieces.

After everything had been put in order Anna shooed the two men out of her room and told them go to downstairs and wait, which is what they were currently doing.

"What do you think she's up to?" They had been waiting for nearly five minutes and there was still no sign of the youngest member.

Mikoto only shrugged in response. Another minute passed until they heard the slight squeak of Anna's door being opened and closed. Her small steps sounded as they took each step down the stairs carefully. Every inhabitant of the bar were surprised to see what the girl had been spending her time doing. She appeared around the corner dressed in all of the things she had just gotten an hour prior.

She had tied two of the ribbons to the front of her dress to give it a little more life, placing the third around the hat that rested atop her head. The shoes Tatara had given her clicked slightly with each step she took. She had opted to put on a pair of stocking to cover her otherwise bare legs. She had even placed the ring from earlier back onto her finger. Ironically, the entire outfit matched perfectly despite none of them planning it that way.

"Wah! Anna-chan looks beautiful!" Tatara announced gleefully. Many others nodded in agreement. She did indeed look beautiful, in an almost sad, doll-like way. Suddenly a loud figure burst through the front door. "Mikoto-san! We were about to go and we were wondering if—" Yata, who had walked further into the room, stopped talking once he noticed Anna who was previously blocked from view. "Woah! Anna looks cute!" Yata didn't mean for it to sound weird, even if it did.

"Thank you, Misaki," Anna was the only one who could get away with using his first name. She held no regard for how much Yata hated his name, but eventually the boy had grown comforted by Anna's stubbornness and accepted it.

"What were you wanting, Yata?" Came Mikoto's deep voice.

"Oh, right. Me and some of the guys were going to the game center and we were wondering if we could take Anna with us so she isn't cooped up in here all day," Yata answered. Anna turned pleading eyes to the king. She always loved playing games with the other members of HOMRA and was actually surprisingly good at them. Mikoto closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine," he was never able to decline Anna's puppy eyes. She would be fine with HOMRA's vanguard and the other members.

"Sweet! Let's go, Anna!" Yata and the other members still inside rushed out of the room with Anna in tow. "Have fun and be careful!" Tatara yelled after them.

"We will!" Floated back to the ones inside, the door proceeding to shut afterwards.

Izumo sighed in relief. His bar has managed to survive housing so many rowdy people at once with only minor injuries. Mikoto walked over to the couch and flopped down onto it, laying his head overtop the backrest cushions. Tatara laid on the one in front of him and curled up with the blanket that was covering it. The three people in the bar stayed in the comfortable silence, each doing their own thing. Mikoto and Tatara relaxed on the couches while Izumo was back in his normal place behind the bar and cleaning off glasses with a rag.

Suddenly the bell above the door jingled and the room filled with the auras of the last two people any of them wanted to see. Reisi Munakata and Seri Awashima entered the bar, neither in uniform and seemingly weaponless. "Munakata," Mikoto greeted calmly. However annoying their interruption was, Mikoto had been expecting it. The blue can monitors the Weissman Levels of every king and Mikoto knows his has probably gone crazy since everything that has happened.

"Suoh," the blue king answered. "I've come to talk to you personally. I don't want any tension in this meeting, as you see we are unarmed."

"Mm."

"I would like to talk to you alone if you will, as this matter is quiet urgent." Before giving Mikoto the change to accept or decline he walked back out of the door. Mikoto reluctantly stood and walked by Awashima who had already placed herself at the bar with Izumo. Mikoto and his second-in-command made quick eye contact before the former walked out the door to meet the fourth king. He pulled out a cigarette and flicked the end to light it, not caring to pull out his lighter at this point. He offered one to Munakata who denied with a simple shake of his head.

He adjusted his glasses before beginning the conversation. "I suppose you already know why am I here considering how calmly you are acting."

"Mm."

"I see. I feel the need to explain in greater detail to you anyway as this is a very dangerous matter."

"Mm." The blue-haired man sighed at the lack of response he was getting. "Suoh. Your Weissman Levels have been all over the place as of late. For all intents and purposes you should be dead. My men print out reports weekly and I rushed over here the moment I saw yours. However, as I felt no immediate danger of a Damocles Down I determined the best course of action would be a casual meeting."

"If all you've come here to do is tell me the obvious you can get your lieutenant and leave."

"I've come to ask a few vital questions. What have you done in the past week to cause so much commotion with your Levels? I see it nearly impossible to have them acting as insanely as they are with no physical proof of the Red Aura's position."

"Nothing," Mikoto replied simply.

"Nothing?" Munakata echoed.

"You said it yourself, nearly impossible. Probably a glitch in your system—"

"Impossible," interrupted the blue king. "Our monitoring systems are completely flawless as we use the Slate itself to do the job."

"Whatever," dissed the redhead with a shrug.

"This is _not_ a matter you can simply shrug off for later. I am not blind to your aura, Suoh. You may be able to hide it from your clansmen, but I am a King, same as you. I can sense the flames surrounding you are stronger than ever. _Too_ strong. Your sword should have fallen long ago with the amount of power you are emitting yet here you stand. I am positive you know exactly what it going on here and are just refusing to tell me."

"Don't know a thing." Mikoto began to walk back to the door, done with the conversation.

 _"Souh."_

Mikoto stopped and turned his head to face the other man.

"I know we have our differences, but we have also been able to trust each other in the past when it really mattered. Don't force me to go public with this information just to get an answer," threatened Munakata. Mikoto grit his teeth. He could deal with the uptight personality of the king before him now. The gold king however was much worse and Mikoto wanted nothing more than to burn the self-centered old man alive every moment they spoke. "I know you know."

"You would just go public with it the moment I told you," Mikoto grumbled in an irritated tone.

"I already know something has gone terribly awry, so any answer, no matter how insane, I will keep as confidential information between the two of us. You know my word is sincere." That was true. Mikoto knows that if the blue king promises to keep something secret, it will _stay_ a secret unless absolutely necessary. He turned to completely face the other man. "My sword's gone. I absorbed it and then didn't die like I was supposed to. This is the result."

Mikoto felt a smug joy at the sheer surprise present on Munakata face at that moment, his normal composure lost in the wind. His mouth was slightly agape and even his glasses had somehow slid down his nose as if they were surprised as well. It was a damn funny sight if Mikoto ever saw one. He only wished it wasn't in such a serious matter so he could voice his thoughts about the idiotic look of the blue-haired man. The king in question quickly caught himself however and clamped him mouth shut, once again adjusting his glasses. "You _absorbed_ it? How?"

"Told you. Didn't die."

"So what _exactly_ does all of that mean?"

"I was supposed to die. My sword had dissolved back into me, but then I lived. Now it's powers are mine and the sword is just gone."

Munakata tensed. He was one of the few kings who knew about the vast power held inside of their swords, never meant to be used. If all of that power was now Suoh's to use without any restraint. Well, basically, _shit._ The Red Aura was the most intense and hard to control. Who knows how easy it would be for Suoh to just snap and lose control now. The blue king wasn't sure how long he had just been standing there thinking, but apparently it was long enough for the red king to snap him out of it.

"Oi. Don't go soft on me now, Munakata. It's not a big deal, I can handle it. Already have been without incident so far. I'll keep my side of the deal and tell you if something _does_ go wrong." It was the most Mikoto had spoken in a while.

"Yes, of course."

"Now I'd like to get back to my nap." Basically: get out.

"Right. I'll gather Awashima and be on my way then. Good day, Suoh."

"Mm."

Mikoto returned to his place on the couch as he watched to two blue can members leave with one final goodbye. "I'm guessing that's something you'll tell us about later as well?" Izumo asked with a small smile. Mikoto grunted an affirmation. He was glad his friends understood him well enough to know when he did or didn't want to talk about something. "Fair enough." Just like that, the room fell back into its comfortable silence.

* * *

"We can finally beat that asshole's score again with you back with us, Anna!" Yata shouted happily as they marched their way to the game center. Anna and Yata were both extremely good at the two-player video game Zombies Rush and continuously fought with another pair for top spot. Whenever one made a high score the other would come back until they beat it and so forth. Yata realized the other day when he had checked the scores that him and Anna has once again been topped. The other members with them simply enjoyed watching the younger pair fight wave after wave of zombies.

It was especially fun when Yata wasn't on his A-game and Anna had to carry him through most of the levels until he got back into it.

Today was one of those days.

The group ignored the suspicious stares they got and the glances of pity Anna received and easily made their way to the front desk to get a handful of tokens. "Let's go before someone gets there!" Yata said when he noticed the currently open game. They both got in their respective places and began the game. It was only wave ten before a whine was heard from Yata. "No! My laser gun!" He had died rather quickly.

"Why did you buy the gun?" Anna scolded. "We agreed to both buy the speed boost first." She had bought the extremely helpful speed two rounds ago while the impatient Yata bought the laser gun in wave four. "It was just so tempting!"

"Well now you have to wait even longer," Anna said while defeating the last few zombies to allow Yata to spawn back in. The people watching in the background snickered, knowing this was going to be a fun show.

Wave sixteen. "How?!"

Twenty-one. "Shit!"

Twenty-seven. "Dammit!"

Yata was having a full-blown meltdown at this point while Anna calmly beat the waves to allow Yata's re-entry each time. "The new high score is wave 346 and you've already died five times now." Yata glared at the young girl who's full attention was on wave forty-five. These games brought out a slightly sassy side to her, but Yata enjoyed playing alongside her nonetheless.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'll try harder now."

 _100/100 zombies exterminated. Player Yata will now respawn. Player Yata has lost 500 coins. Player Anna has gained 1,000 coins. You have thirty second to look through the shop. Wave forty-six will begin soon._

 _Player Anna has bought Damage Boost._

 _Player Yata is unable to afford Health Boost at this time.  
Player Yata is unable to afford Machine Gun at this time.  
Player Yata is unable to afford Regen Boost at this time._

 _Player Anna has bought Reaper's Void Red Laser Gun._

"What?! How have you already got the best gun in the game?!"

"I haven't died."

Yata huffed. The onlookers laughed quietly, but quickly stopped when Yata threw them an angry glare. Despite Yata's determination the end-of-wave screen looked basically the same each time. Only the numbers differed as waves were beaten.

 _300/300 zombies exterminated.  
450/450 zombies exterminated._ _700/700 zombies exterminated._

They had been there for hours at this point and were now closing in on the high score.

"Wave 346! Now all we gotta do it beat it!" Yata had finally gotten back into the rhythm of the game and could play on an even level with Anna now. They both made easy work of the zombies despite the difficulty of the wave they were on. When they had finally beat the level Yata gave a quick little dance and Anna smiled. They decided to beat a few more waves before deliberately dying on 400 to go get some food before heading back to the bar. The others had long since left for their homes leaving only Yata, Anna, and Kamamoto left. All three of their stomachs were growling in protest against the neglect.

"This place is empty so they'll serve us faster, lets go!" It was already 8:46 so they needed to head back soon so Anna could be in bed.

The trio were now seated in a corner table in a small store they had passed on the way. Anna had ordered tomato soup with grilled cheese—much to Yata's protest—while the other two went with burgers. The food was placed in front of them quickly with a smile from the friendly looking waitress. Anna immediately inspected the food for poison—a perk of being a clansman was that they could sense the presence of any type of harmful substance if they tried. She gasped when something blipped on her radar and instantly tried to stop the other two. "Wait don't!"

It was too late. The oblivious boys had already taken large bites from their burgers and swallowed it down quickly. It must have been an extremely strong poison for they both fell quickly. Before Anna could react she felt a presence behind her and pain exploded through the back of her skull. "Leave the boys. We only need the girl," a voice demanded as Anna barely held on to consciousness. She felt someone digging in her empty dress pocket. _No!_ The hand ghosted to the other that held her marbles. _Mikoto!_ All faded to black.

* * *

 _Mikoto!_

The man started awake, sitting up quickly. He recognized his surroundings to be that of his room. He looked to his clock that he had finally replaced the batteries for. 10:23. Have those idiots not brought Anna back yet? Mikoto began to get up but paused when he heard angered yells from downstairs. Thinking someone had most likely harmed Izumo's bar he lazily got up to head down. "K-Kusanagi-san! Totsuka-san! We-We're sorry! We didn't know!"

Yata and Kamamoto were cowering in front on an extremely pissed off Izumo and Tatara. Mikoto could feel the anger radiating off of the pair. He saw Yata and Kamamoto turn sheet white upon his arrival though, looking utterly petrified. "M-M-M-Mikoto-san!" Yata stuttered heavily. He and the large blonde beside of him were in deep enough with the two lighter haired men hovered dangerously above them, but with the king now here they would be lucky to escape with their lives.

"Where's Anna?" Questioned the tall redhead. Everyone else in the room collectively shit themselves.

"A-About t-that . . . "

* * *

 **I AM SO EXTREMELY SORRY. I didn't mean for this chapter to end in a cliffhanger but I didn't want to start off on any of the action until the next one D: so it had to be done. I did get this chapter done pretty quickly though, I think, so hopefully that makes up for it! I'll try to see how far I get with the third and maybe can get it out in a couple of days as well. But unless I sit here all day tomorrow it might not be for a few more days until I can get it out! SORRY!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed and yes, someone took Anna :O DUN DUN DUN. You'll see some stuff from where she ends up in the next chapter and also Mikoto's epic anime rage moment lol. I'll try not to go overboard but someone DID take Anna after all, so he's gonna be a little more than pissed. I also would like for every story arc to last a few chapters each, so be warned that everything isn't going to be resolved in a single chapter!**

 **Also the flashbacks shouldn't be a reoccurring thing until people like them. I just wanted to add a couple to get the emotions flowing and to show the impact Tatara really had on everyone. I didn't know how else to do that other than flashbacks.**

 **I was also having trouble deciding what I wanted Anna to call Izumo and was about to actually cut out that part when my puppy jumped on my keyboard. It spelled something along the lines of BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRVVWDNNNN before I got him off XD so I decided to just go with bee since he so kindly spelled it out for me.**

 **Also, regarding Anna: I don't want her to be completely emotionless like she is in the anime. In the manga she shows a little more expression and that's what I'm try to show here. That's why she smiles and seems happy a lot more. I don't want her to be a literal emotionless doll.**

 **I believe that's all! Thank you everyone who got this far, you're the best!**

 **I've already also gotten a lovely review so soon!**

 **Direhart: Congrats on being the very first person to review on this fic and thanks so much! I hope his reaction lived up to what you were expecting!**

 **—Alaya**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! I'm back! Sorry this took so long I wasn't expecting my lack of time to whip this up. A lot has been happening in this past week and I haven't had even an hour to at least get a few thousand words written. I like being able to write a chapter all at once so I know where I want to go instead of coming back later wondering what I was trying to do. The chapters might be a lot shorter for a while as exams and a lot of drama with school and police have been happening a lot lately.**

 **I should stop giving excuses and just get on with it then, so enjoy!**

 **Also some trigger warnings (I think?) and darker themes. Basically stuff you'd expect with someone being kidnapped and all. Also there are suggestive things pointing to some pretty dark stuff, but nothing M rated happens or is directly spoken about. I'm bad with warning so I don't know how accurate they actually are. Mikoto also feels pretty OOC in this _ sorry in advanced for that.**

 **Word Count: 7,169**

* * *

 _"What?"_ Mikoto seethed, his aura expanding—feasting on his anger. The two on the ground watched the furious redhead warily, unknowing of when he might explode. Quite literally. The tallest looked carefully at the shortest of the standing who then approached the one who was even more upset than them. "Mikoto," he placed a gentle hand on the king's shoulder. "We'll figure it out," he tried to smile as reassuringly as possible.

Mikoto glared at the younger man before shaking him off and angrily stalking over to the ones responsible. Yata and Kamamoto both jumped back. After all, it was plenty terrifying having someone as powerful as Mikoto angry and suddenly coming straight towards you. He grabbed the front of Yata's hooding and lifted him clean off the ground and closer to his face. The chestnut-haired boy gulped, but didn't try escaping from the grasp as he knew it would be useless. "Mi-Mikoto-san we—"

 _"We nothing._ How could you be so _careless_ when you're with Anna?!" He had to resist the urge to shake the boy. "I trusted you and you let someone _take_ her!" The amber eyes blazed with a dangerous red tint. Yata looked more scared than he had ever been before. Mikoto almost felt bad for being the source of that fear. Almost. Right now he was too angry to care and was barely keeping himself from setting the entire place on fire.

"Mikoto, come on. You're scaring them," Izumo this time. Mikoto glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before dropping the smaller redhead who instantly collapsed. Mikoto gave a ragged breath before turning his back and taking a couple steps towards the door before stopping again. He rubbed his face harshly in irritation. "Dammit!" Mikoto yelled before forcing the door open—almost ripping it out of the doorway entirely—and stormed out. "W-Wait! Shouldn't we go after him? W-What if he hurts civilians?" Yata asked, trembling slightly.

"No," Izumo and Tatara answered simultaneously. "If anyone is at risk of getting hurt it's you two. I have a feeling he's following a lead we got not too long ago anyways to let out some of his anger. Best not to interfere—especially you both," the taller blonde finished.

"We're really sorry, Kusanagi-san. We should have checked out food, but we had just had so much fun we didn't think about it. We were stupid."

"Yes. You were. _Very stupid._ Right now though you both are going to help us find the ones who took her," Izumo told them in a tone that just dared them to decline. Like they would have anyways.

"Is, uh, are you going to kick us out after—" Yata was cut off by Izumo.

"No, we aren't that low. You make mistakes—some bigger than others—but mistakes nonetheless," he answered.

"Mikoto-san was so angry, he actually scared me for a second," Yata admitted meekly. "I-I thought he would . . . " Izumo filled in the blank left in many different ways, all answered the same way. "Yata. You don't really understand what it's like to hold such extreme power, not like Mikoto and Anna. Mikoto could accidently set half the city of fire while Anna could accidently put someone through an unending torture if they don't have strong enough mental walls—civilians and weak clansmen in other words. They know each other's suffering and help calm it by just being near the other's understanding. If separated in a way like this all hell could break loose. So you understand how bad this could be now?"

Yata nodded. They looked over to the other two at the sound of movement. Kamamoto was just getting up and leaning heavily on Tatara. "What's wrong with him?" Yata whispered to Izumo.

"It was Mikoto's aura. The pressure of it must have really weighed down on him. Neither of them are as resistant to it as we are, I'm surprised Tatara is able to keep up like he is. Probably because it was directed towards you both and not us," he answered his own statement.

"O-Oh . . . " Yata had felt it too, collapsed even for a second, but got over it quickly after Mikoto left. A thought suddenly dawned on the hooded boy. "Wai—how are we going to find Anna? She's our tracker!"

"We're the red clan. Mikoto's a king. We have no short supply of friends and enemies alike. I know some people who can help," Izumo pulled out his phone and waved it around. "No time to waste." He began scrolling through.

* * *

The first thing Anna realized as she began to wake was the throbbing pain in the back of her skull. She went to feel it with her hand but was met with resistance. Her arms were chains against a wall, so low to even force her to stay to the ground. It was pitch dark and cold. Air seeped into the opening of her dress and made her shiver. Even after her eyes adjusted to the lack of light she could see nothing. Yanking at her restrains proved useless and she could move no more than a foot or two away from the wall before they were pulled tight.

Her entire body was sore from the unpleasant position she had been placed in against the stone wall and floor. She knew her clan was looking for her, but she also knew how much longer it could take with the one missing being their tracker. She put as much power into the connection between her and Mikoto even though it was proving futile in her weakened state. When was the last time she ate? It felt like ages. Had she been asleep that long? It wouldn't surprise her considering it already felt like she had been sitting against the harsh stone for hours.

Suddenly a heavy sounding metal door scraped open, flooding the room in a golden light. Anna was momentarily blinded, flinching away from the sudden abuse to her eyes until they adjusted once again. "Well lookie here! You're finally awake! I was scared I killed you after the first couple days. You are just a small girl, even if you're part of the red clan. Such an odd little thing you are. Surrounding yourself with all of those brutish men willingly. Odd indeed. I'm sure you'd much rather stay with my girls," he gave a wicked, ugly smile. Everything about the man was ugly to Anna. All dark colors and disgusting hues. No red at all. Though, to others, this man was the perfect image and highly desired.

Jet black hair that wasn't long, but not extremely short. Cut close to his neck and reaching midway down it the dark hair settled against the smooth skin there. The top was more wild and sat itself in a purposefully messy way. Deep, emerald green eyes contrasted with pale skin that seemed unblemished. A tight black shirt clung greedily to an obviously muscular, tall body. The man was probably as tall at Mikoto, maybe slightly taller even. His smile revealed perfectly white, well-kept teeth.

"Such a cute thing too. If only you were older," he purred. He walked forward and cupped her small head in his hands, playing with a strand of hair that fell over it. Anna didn't flinch. She showed no emotion at all. "Hmm?" He grinned again. "Ooh, a brave thing you are. Don't worry! We'll fix that soon enough!" He leaned towards the girl's ears where she could feel his heated breath on her cold ears. "The things that I could do to you, chained and helpless as you are. No king to protect you now, mm?" Suddenly he nibbled at the tip of her ear. It took everything in Anna to keep from moving a single muscle at the horrid act. "Behave yourself or I might overlook the fact that you're only a child, alright?"

He grinned before standing back to his full height and walking back out of the door. Anna was quickly doused back into the darkness her eyes now need to readjust to. Any other child would be crying, petrified, confused, or all of the above. Anna was not. She had grown used to things such as this, and even her comparably short time with the red clan had not let her forget how to close off her emotions as needed.

Anna's stomach suddenly growled a loud complaint. According to what the man said she had been here for a couple days and—as far as she knew—hasn't been fed or given any water. Her tongue was like sandpaper against her gums and her eyes burned, so it wasn't very hard to believe. They obviously want her alive so hopefully they will bring at least _something_ soon. Hopefully.

With the disheartening final thought, Anna began to put as much energy as she was willing back into the bond she shared with Mikoto. Maybe he would be able to find her if not anyone else.

* * *

These people were absolutely _useless!_ They couldn't find a single trail no matter how many gangs Mikoto took down for them. _Useless idiots!_ Even an eleven year old girl was better than them at their own job! "Dammit!" Mikoto yelled, slamming his fists into the metal wall, severely denting it. They had just tore through yet _another_ base only to come to _another_ dead end. These two _dumbasses_ were supposed to be the best of the best. How in the hell did they ever manage that?

They both stared fearfully at the king who was trembling with rage. His aura was nearly suffocating them, not to mention the fact that he basically just punched a whole through a metal wall. Mikoto had been slowly falling deeper and deeper into his rage until everyone was constantly on edge around him. Everyone was afraid to take their eyes off of him lest he explode the moment they do so.

Mikoto had been fairly easy on the two 'trackers' for the first day or two. Now though, he was ready to rip their heads off. Everyone knew it, but no one tried to say anything for obvious reasons.

"Mikoto, c'mon. We have one more base a little ways from here that we haven't checked yet. Don't go torching anyone else before then," Izumo informed. Mikoto's clenched fists slowly loosened, and—after sending one last deadly glare to the terrified trackers—set off to the car where Yata was waiting. It was an inconspicuous car, but large enough to hold two men easily over six feet tall without much discomfort. Yata was forced to sit out on this round after rushing headstrong into the last warehouse and nearly getting himself shot.

After everyone had exited the warehouse Mikoto sent a tsunami of flames towards it, watching the metal melt easily under the force of the fire. The fire department sure has had its work cut out for it tonight.

Once they reached the car Izumo climbed in the drivers seat, Mikoto beside him. Yata, being the shortest, sat in the middle of the back with the trackers on either side. Mikoto watched the building burn with boredom as they drove away. The smoke being the only things left visible above the buildings blocking his view. The ride was tense, no one saying a word. No one wanting to accidently incur Mikoto's wrath. Even Izumo wisely stayed silent unless absolutely necessary.

The next gang was just like any other they had encountered. Drug trafficking, murder, and some even had sex slaves. Disgusting pigs. Mikoto honestly didn't know how he'd react if he found out people were using Anna for sex also. He hoped, for his sake, Anna's, and everyone in the vicinity's sake, that he didn't figure it out if it was happening too. The thought alone made his flames roar up.

They were still very crazy and unpredictable to Mikoto. It was like standing in front of a wild animal and having no idea if it was going to run or attack. It was something Mikoto has always hated, even more so now that is was even worse than before. He's been trying to get better at it, concentrating on suppressing them every night for hours at a time. Sadly, this wasn't something that just happened in a day, even a year, or _ever,_ really. He always wondered if it was the same for the other kings. He doubted it. The other's weren't like his were. Flames were powerful and there was no way to control them from spreading without completely doing away with them, which he couldn't do.

Maybe that's was Munakata was such a fun fighting partner. They were complete opposites in a way that nearly evened out their powers in the opposing sections. The blue king's defense cancelled out Mikoto's offence and vice versa. No however, Mikoto knew the other king couldn't stand up to him anymore. That was actually disappointing to the red king. None of the other kings understood the third and fourth kings' "special" relationship.

The first king didn't have an offensive ability and the second king was just an old man who threw rocks around. Mikoto sighed and lifted his head from the window. His right cheek was slightly damp from the dew but it quickly evaporated due to his higher than average body temperature. The lights of the city flew by as Izumo drove well over the speed limit. It was bumpy, but not overly so. After a few minutes of the deafening silence the car halted to a stop a little less than a block away from the building the gang was locked in. The group got out. "Mikoto-san?" The man in question turn to see Yata poking his head out of the door the less annoying tracker—Zander—had just exited from.

Mikoto gave a look to Yata that told him to go on. "Can. . . Can I go in this time?" Before Mikoto could say anything to answer he kept going. "I promise I wont do anything stupid again! I just want to help!" His eyes pleaded for Mikoto to accept. Mikoto rounded on the younger boy and narrowed his eyes threateningly. "If I let you go you _will_ do _everything_ Izumo or I tell you. If you don't I will make sure you can't move for a month, got it?" He wouldn't _actually_ intentionally hurt Yata, but no one needed to know that. The look Izumo gave his long time friend told him he always knew the threat was a bluff. Yata didn't see to realize it though.

The boy's eyes widened with a hundred different emotions before happily jumping out with his baseball bat in hand. "Thank you, Mikoto-san!" He looked like he was about to go running to the gang's hideout before realizing the reason he had gotten in trouble the last time and slowed. He walked beside Izumo, both ahead of the remaining three. Mikoto slowed his stride to walk in step with the shorter trackers. He lined himself beside Zander, keeping his thoughts off of the other one who for some reason grated on his nerves to no end.

"What're the stats for this one?"

"Estimated to be responsible for 20 of the last 200 missing this month. All girls or women anywhere from sixteen to thirty, with a few exceptions. They are suspected to be sex slaves, so most likely are alive. Th—" He stopped when Mikoto sped up and walked away from the pair. Apparently he got what he wanted to hear. He caught up easily to the pair in front of him with his long strides. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth before he began to talk. "There's innocents in there so we gotta be careful not to go crazy," Mikoto warned.

"You're the one who ends up setting the place on fire before we evacuate everyone," Izumo reminded. Mikoto frowned before shoving his hands in his pockets and looking the other way. He took his cigarette and blew out the smoke from his mouth. "Whatever, still applies to you two."

"Yea, we know," Izumo waved his hand.

"Sure do!" Yata shouted.

They group had given up any attempts at stealth the first two hideouts the busted. Mikoto would just walk right up to the doors and knock them down. So the five in the front were completely out in the open as they strolled towards the large metal doors. Bullets were suddenly flying their way from snipers at the top who noticed them coming towards the warehouse. Mikoto easily dissolved them with his aura that he expanded to protect everyone around him.

While Izumo took care of the snipers with a few well-aimed fireballs, Mikoto stepped up to the metal doors. With a powerful kick aimed near the middle, both flew open and slightly off their hinges. He had to be careful because the civilians could be anywhere. He was instantly bombarded with a barrage of gunfire. Despite the numbers being much greater than outside, Mikoto still easily turned each to dust while still walking, hands in pockets and cigarette between his lips. He stopped near the middle of the large room, the gang members backed off once they noticed their guns were useless and out of bullets anyway.

Izumo stepped up once everything settled and began to speak. "We're here for the civilians you've captures and taken. Just give them to us and this will be a lot easier."

"Like hell! Y'all just barge in here—"

"I'm sure you know who we are, and you know you have no chance of winning this. Either you leave here unharmed or you leave half dead and carrying the ones who _are_ dead. Hell, you probably won't leave. None of us are in a very good mood. So give them up, now."

 _"No,"_ was the answer once again. Izumo sigh. He could be quiet threatening when he wanted to be, but if people were going to be stubborn idiots then that was their loss. Despite Izumo's strength, he wasn't able to simply expand his aura and cause people to collapse under the pressure of it like Mikoto could. They all knew that without knowing where the helpless people were they couldn't start a fight. A big one at least. They didn't want to risk a stray bullet to hit them, or flames to rip down the building before they could save them.

These were the more annoying times. Izumo was all for order, but when they all knew who would win he looked at this "struggle" as completely useless and a waste of precious time. He sighed again. _One more try._

"This is your last chance before things start to get—" Izumo was cut off by a deep, irritated voice.

"Alright, if you dumbasses don't tell us what we want right now I will personally give you a glimpse of hell before sending you to the real thing," Mikoto threatened as he stood beside Izumo. The room had immediately began to swelter with Mikoto's aura the moment he started talking. It was obvious none of the other men could withstand it, even with it being such a small pressure compared to what he could actually do. Some collapsed, many began to tremble, and a few—very few—were feigning unaffectedness, but it was obvious they were even falling under it.

Mikoto narrowed his eyes as the undesirable image before him. He's grown sick and tired of wasting his time with things like this. So he did the obvious thing to speed things up. What was the point of being a king if you couldn't terrify the scum of the Earth into submission every once in a while? He began to walk towards the obvious leader. "You." Step. "Pathetic." Step. "Pigs." Step. _"Will."_ Step. "Tell us." Step. Echo, silence. Mikoto had made it to tower above the leader, letting his aura grow a small amount more. Still weaker than what it would be casually if he didn't constantly suppress it. "What we want to know."

At this point only a select few men were still standing, but were all trembling and looked on the verge of tears. _Pathetic. These are supposed to be gang members._ The leader had fallen back, clearly terrified of being so close to Mikoto. He was opening and closing his mouth like a fish taken out of water. Mikoto's eyes glowed red impatiently. The man fell backwards and onto his butt after seeing it. "They're—They-They—Th-That do-o-or, then r-right." An obvious spot had darkened on the front of his pants. Mikoto tsked before walking where he was told. It was obvious the man was too terrified to lie.

"Yata. All yours."

"Hell yea!"

Izumo and Mikoto went through the door, the sounds a bat hitting flesh drowned out. A right turn later and they were met with a terrible sight. Seventeen cages—hardly big enough to fit an average sized dog—lined the walls, each with someone stuffed inside of it. The floor was covered in a sticky substance, especially around the middle. The stench was almost unbearable. Feces, urine, and the unmentionables all mixed for a stomach wrenching smell. The women all cowered at the sight of the two tall strangers who entered the room. Izumo immediately tried to placate them. "We're here to free you and send you back to your families. We don't want to hurt you, don't worry." Obviously they didn't seem very convinced.

"We'll only take the locks off, we won't open the cages or get any closer than we need to, alright?" Still the same fearful looks. While Izumo had been talking Mikoto had scanned the faces of each of the women, none of them were Anna. He tried not to let his anger show, obviously not wanted to scare the women anymore than they already were. "We're going to come near now, don't panic."

Izumo walked to a cage on the right side and Mikoto began on the left. Each were faced with a closed padlock, neither having a key. That didn't stop them for long as each found their own way to open them. Mikoto took the bottom part and simply yanked the bottom part from one link of the top, looking just like it would have had he had a key. He pulled it through the clip, set it on the floor and moved on as promised. Izumo used a small flame to slice through the weak metal and set the lock down much like Mikoto had. They repeated this until each cage was unlocked, but even as they moved back to the door none of the women had moved. "H-How . . . " A weak voice called out. "How do we know . . this isn't a trick?"

"You want proof?" Mikoto questioned. The women nodded their heads. Mikoto walked out of the door and came back not even a minute later. Behind his was the barely conscious leader being dragged by the scruff of his shirt. Mikoto threw him into the middle of the room. "Proof enough?" They stared at the beaten body before a couple slowly pushed open the gates. Many followed and soon all were free from the cramped confines. They were all basically naked, having only scraps of clothes to cover the private areas.

"We'll show you to the front, the police are on the way. They'll help you and lock up the others," Izumo told the women, and whisper to Mikoto: "Better warn Yata, you know how flustered he gets over girls. This is a little different, but still."

Mikoto nodded and walked out. Yata was standing with the two trackers—who Mikoto was still a little more than upset at—and staring at the mess of men on the ground. They all knew Anna wasn't there by the look of Mikoto and the fact that the girl wasn't with him. "We're going back to the car. Izumo will be there soon." With that he left, knowing the others would follow.

The trackers—mainly Not-Zander—have been grating on his nerves to the point that he was on the verge of going off on them. The fragile wall that was barely containing his annoying could crumble by the smallest thing either of them did. Mikoto wanted nothing to do with them at this point, they were useless in his mind. Zander, an average heighted brunet with green eyes, was okay and seemed to actually be working hard to help them. Not-Zander as Mikoto called him—his actually name was Arlo—seemed to only be holding Zander back with his laziness. Obviously he didn't know that Mikoto knew that he wasn't trying to help his partner. The redhead had to try his hardest to keep from letting his annoyance make an appearance, possibly in the form of flames. Arlo was slightly shorter than Zander, also had brown hair, but instead of green he had brown eyes to match his hair.

The three eventually joined him in the wait for Izumo, the tall blonde appearing shortly before sirens could see heard. They sped off, turning around a building before they could be seen by the police. The car rides seemed to be getting longer and longer as the trips stacked up, the roads extending farther and farther each time they travelled through them. Mikoto just wanted to get back to the bar before the near-silent whispers of those in the back finally drove him to his wits end.

Mikoto got out of the car the instant they pulled up to the bar. Yata told his goodbyes before heading to his own place. Mikoto gave a small nod to Tatara and Yata before heading up to his room for the night. The trackers were staying with them until they were no longer needed and shared the guest room. Mikoto found it even harder to sleep knowing there were practically strangers sleeping under the same roof as he was. It didn't really matter as he went back to his same every night routine.

* * *

It had been about four hours since they got back, making it nearly three in the morning. Mikoto was finished and decided to head downstairs for a glass of water. He made sure to be completely silent so he didn't wake anyone else up even though he doubted anyone was asleep. He was about to take the first step down when he heard someone talking. "Yes sir, I've been pulling any leads away from you and I'm still putting Zander on whild goose chases," whispered the voice of Not-Zander. Mikoto wouldn't have been able to hear if he didn't have enhanced senses due to his kingship.

Mikoto had to resist the urge to break into the room and tear the man limb from limb.

Incoherent mumbling on the other side of the line. "Yes sir, I know. How much longer do you need?" More mumbling. "Still that much?" He paused once again. "Of course I can do it, they are all idiots who can't tell a spy from the next guy." The other person seemed to get louder, possibly scolding for the bold statement. "He could be the bloody Pope for all I care! So what if he's a king? You have an army of strains!" Mikoto narrowed his eyes. Who the hell was he talking to? "Yes sir, I'll be careful. I'll give you some more information in a couple days," Mikoto heard the phone hang up and footsteps come towards the door.

Mikoto let the door swing open before grabbing the one who opened it and slamming him against the wall. "What the hell!" Arlo yelled in surprise. There was little light, the only source being a window on the far side of the hall. The brunet's eyes widened when he recognized who was in front of him. "Who the hell are you working for?" Mikoto demanded angrily, putting more force against the man. Two doors down the hall simultaneously opened and shut and the hallway was suddenly flooded in light after a small _click._

"Mikoto, what the hell are you doing?" Izumo questioned. He and Tatara walked up to the pair cautiously.

"He's a damn spy. Heard him on the phone."

 _"What?"_

"Give me your phone," ordered Mikoto to the man he was holding down.

"Hell no!" Arlo said while trying to struggle out of the grip. His wiggling was obviously useless but he didn't stop nonetheless. Mikoto reached for his pockets until he found the one that held the device and then tossed it to Izumo who easily caught it. "He didn't even clear the call," the blonde stated, dumbfounded at the mistake. Even Yata wouldn't make such an obvious blunder, though he does other things that make up for it. "How could you make such an obvious mistake? This is your specialty if you were sent here, is it not?"

"Yea and I'm damn good at it too! You dumbasses couldn't even figure me out until you heard the call!" He stared smugly at Mikoto as he said the last part. That was the last straw. "Because that is not _my_ specialty, but you know what is? _My_ specialty is beating the living shit out of anyone who pisses me off, and do you know where that leaves _you?"_ The smug look was instantly replaced by one with fear, dread, and pain. Mikoto had unconsciously put too much power into his hold and was quiet literally about to cause the man's chest to cave in.

"Mikoto just set him down, he's not going anywhere," Tatara's placating voice.

"Besides, we don't need you going crazy in here again. There's still a hole in the wall from when Eric woke up you," Izumo said and pointed towards the half crumbled wall. Arlo also saw it and seemed to struggle even more violently. "Be still," Mikoto's voice was deadly serious and the man instantly froze. He let the man drop and he instantly crumbling with his back against the wall. The redhead stepped back to lean against the wall on the other side.

Suddenly the door to the guest bedroom opened again and a weary-eyed Zander stepped out, looking confused. He flinched slightly at the light but gave no other signs that it was bothering him. His green eyes eventually landed on the collapsed Arlo and immediately turned dreadful and fearful. He gave a wary glance to each person standing in the hallway thinking that he was next even if he hadn't done anything. Mikoto was glaring at the man, but only because the door he opened was annoyingly close.

"U-Uh, sorry?" The brunet then tried to shut the door again. Mikoto quickly caught the doorknob before the other tracker could shut himself up after seeing what was happening. Zander gasped at the sudden stop and nearly flew towards Mikoto with the door. He stood warily in front of the three red clansmen. "Did you know about Arlo?" Izumo queried.

"Maybe? What is it?" Zander asked innocently, not knowing what they were wanting to know. A set of amber eyes narrowed at the response. Izumo avoided the question with yet another one of his own. "How long have you been working with Arlo?"

"A guy showed up at my workplace not too long ago, said he heard about my old partner who died about a month back. He told me he had a guy who could help and then Arlo was there," he shrugged. "Is that bad?"

"What did the guy look like?"

"Uh, he had black hair to about here,"—he put his hand perpendicular to his neck around the midway point—"and, um, green eyes I think. They were a dark green though, I remember not being able to tell at first. Pretty tall, too, and not bad-looking." Zander knew that if they were asking about the guy then that meant they wanted an apt description. He made sure to give them everything he could.

"We should ask Yata and Kamamoto about it later," Izumo whispered, receiving two nods. He turned to Zander again. "Welp, sad to say, but that wasn't your best choice. Arlo here can't be trusted and I don't think we can really trust anyone else now. I wouldn't even think to believe you if we hadn't worked together in the past. From now on you're on your own, we'll deal with him," a nod towards Arlo.

"R-Right," Zander agreed nervously. The fact that any failure from this point on would all be on him was slightly terrifying. Well, actually, the failures weren't, but the king who was so adamant on getting back their missing girl was. Zander shuddered. This was _really_ bad now. The thought of getting burnt the a crisp wasn't exactly a great path to go down at the moment. Especially considering the guy who could do it effortlessly was standing right in front of him with his arms crossed and an angry frown set on his face.

Tatara stepped up after being quite through most of the nightly intrusion. "Well Zander don't worry! We'll settle things and you can head right back on to bed! Sorry for waking you!" He said with a smile and nudged the man back into the room.

"U-Uh, okay?" The door shut. Mikoto, now that things were settling, finally was able to go down the stairs for his water. "Mikoto? Where are you going?"

"I wanted some water, and if I see that guy's face any longer I might just burn this entire damn place down. I'm getting a drink and going to bed."

The two blondes understood and wouldn't bother Mikoto in the affairs of Arlo unless absolutely necessary. "Okay then, King! I hope you sleep well and stop being such a grump!" No matter how bad things could be, Tatara can say one thing and make it better. Even if only in the smallest ways. Or when he was insulting—albeit playfully—someone.

"Mm," Mikoto mumbled and walked off.

* * *

Anna was having absolutely _no_ luck. She guessed Mikoto was too worked up about everything to really notice her trying to connect with him. She couldn't blame him, if anything was good it was the fact that she couldn't hurt people if no one was around. The ones that _were_ around had strong enough mental walls that she wouldn't be able to accidently get inside their head. There was no point in trying to hurt or kill someone either, she was confined and it would only lead to worse conditions.

She bit her lip, a habit she thought she had broken months ago. Her body no longer felt like a desert wasteland now that she was given a small amount of food and an even smaller amount of water. Barely enough to keep her alive, and much too little to let her build her lost strength up.

The metal door once again creaked open with an ear-splitting scraping noise that made Anna's fingertips throb. She could do nothing more than sit and bear it because of the chains holding her wrists close to the floor. "Anna~!" The black-haired man from earlier called. "I've got a surprise I want to show you!"

Anna looked up at the disgusting man before her. His hair seemed more messy than usual and his green eyes duller. He held what looked to be a newspaper in his hands. He moved it into the light to allow the petite girl the chance to see what was on the front page.

 _ **8 Warehouses and Storage Facilities Burned in Mysterious Fires All Around Shizume City.**_

 _In the past three days there have been a number of fires with an unknown cause to random facilities in the city. There is seemingly no order or reason for these arsonist acts. The fire department has stated that these incidents are very odd, and the flames extremely resistant. They have yet to find any cause for the fires. Conspiracies about gang wars have been going around because of the groups of people found near or in these areas. It is unknown if those are the true reasons, but the police have definitely taken that into account for the duration of their inspection._

 _In other news . . ._

The words ran off the page, the picture of a large fire taking up most of the room for words.

So Mikoto and the rest of the clan was looking for her. "Does that make you feel special Anna? To have such important people going through so much trouble just to find you? Too bad they never will. Not in time, anyways!" He laughed. "They're looking in all the wrong places, heh. Of course that's all because of my influence. Your little king isn't the only one with a large amount of people on his side after-all!"

"You won't stand a chance once they find you," Anna mumbled quietly.

"What was that darling? Don't tell me your _talking back_ to _me,_ because that's a big no-no!" He talked so cheerily for a man who was giving such an obvious threat. When Anna didn't answer he smiled. "That's what I thought! You're such a good girl, you know. If you didn't have such powerful people looking for you I might just keep you for myself. That king of yours would take out every gang in existence if it meant he would eventually find you, so I'm just keeping you until you are no longer needed! Then who _knows_ who would get ahold of you after that." He smiled again, but before he could continue, another person entered the dungeon type room.

"Sir?" It was a woman. "You're needed in Area 5."

The man cursed under his breath before looking back to Anna. "Well it seems our little meeting has been cut short. I'll come see you again soon! Have a nice time and don't go too crazy!" He laughed before he and the woman both exited.

They were looking for her and everyone knew it. Maybe it was a bad thing because now her captors would be trying extra hard to get whatever they were doing done. And fast. Mikoto will find her eventually, that was a given. So they would now be working non-stop, but so would Anna. She will make sure she leaves before anything bad can actually happen. She had to for the sake of everyone.

* * *

 **ANNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDD DONE! I'm sorry this chapter isn't super long, but it's decent enough. Once again I feel like Mikoto is kind of OOC, but he stressed so we can pretty much chop it up to that. I've had a lot going on so this chapter is super** — **and I mean** ** _super_** — **late. The next one will probably be the same way and it might even be after schools lets out in a couple weeks before I can even begin to type it up.**

 **I'm sorry for making you guys wait, but I'm warning you this time that it will be a wait of nearly the same time for the next one as well. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys soon!**

 **I also got some more lovely reviews :D**

 **Kris Senju: I was trying to think of a way to let Shiro and co. show up, but I haven't quite worked out how to make it happen yet. Since they all met because of the silver king stuff it will all be different. I'll definitely try to find a way though as I'm sure many people would love an appearance from him! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for the review!**

 **Direhart: Thank you so much for reviewing again and I'm glad you liked the last chapter :D You don't get to see Mikoto flip on the people who caught Anna just yet, but it should be coming in a few chapters! Your review also gave me a little laugh :P**

 **MatsuMonsu: I feel privileged to know my fic was good enough to keep you entertained and I hope you still feel that way. Thank you for the love and the review!**

 **Haiiro-Inu-ChanXxX: Thank you for the love, it makes me happy to know people enjoy this! I also like to think of Mikoto as a slightly protective big brother or something just because of the fact that Anna seems so helpless (even though she isn't completely so) xD. I feel like all of HOMRA would treat her like a literal princess so I put a little emphasis to that on Mikoto lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


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